1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a multi-function time measurement device having hands and a time measurement method.
2. Background Art
Conventionally available as a multi-function time measurement device having hands is an electronic watch having an analog indicator chronograph function, for example.
Such an electronic watch has, for chronograph purposes, a chronograph hour hand, a chronograph minute hand, and a chronograph second hand, starts time measurement at the pressing of a start/stop button, causing the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand to turn. When the start/stop button is pressed again, the electronic watch stops time measurement, thereby stopping the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand and indicating a measured time. With a reset button on the electronic watch pressed, the measured time is reset, and the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand are reset to zero positions (hereinafter referred to as zero reset).
Such an electronic watch has a function called split function that works as follows. When a split switch is pressed in the middle of time measurement, such an electronic watch stops the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand while continuing time measurement. When the split button is pressed again, the electronic watch rapidly drives the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand to compensate for the corresponding measurement time, and then allows them to turn in a standard speed thereafter. With this function, a user visually and accurately recognizes the measurement times at a plurality of points of time, and may record a measured time, for example.
Besides such a function, the electronic watch has a function of automatically stopping the chronograph hour hand, the chronograph minute hand, and the chronograph second hand at a maximum measurement time, for example, at a watch hand start position for the time measurement. With this function, no power is consumed needlessly even if the user forgets to press the start/stop button to stop the time measurement.
In such an electronic watch, the user may visually recognize the time indicated by temporarily stopping the time measurement with the split function after the start of the time measurement. The user may forget to release the temporary stop state thereafter. The user may notice it later, and may release the temporary stop. The electronic watch tries to rapidly drive the hands to their originally expected positions to compensate for a long temporary stop, thereby leaving the hands continuously turning for a relatively long duration of time. In the electronic watch, the power consumed in the form of motor pulses for rapidly driving the hands to their originally expected positions is greater than the power consumed in the form of motor pulses for normally driving the hands. For this reason, if this happens, the power of a power source battery of the electronic watch is greatly consumed. If only one motor is employed for rapid watch hand driving, it takes considerable time to rapidly drive all hands to their originally expected positions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a time measurement device and a time measurement method, which are free from the above problem, and automatically release a suspended state in the middle of time measurement after a predetermined amount of time elapse, thereby shortening the temporary suspension time and reducing power consumed to rapidly driving hands to their originally expected positions when the temporary suspension is released.
A time measurement device of the present invention has at least, both a function of measuring standard time and a function of measuring any elapsed time, wherein when a predetermined amount of time passes from a temporary suspension of a watch hand in position in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, the suspension of the watch hand is automatically released and the watch hand is driven to a watch hand position indicating the elapsed time.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the time measurement device automatically releases the temporary suspension of the time measurement when the predetermined amount of time passes since the user temporarily suspended the display of measurement time in the middle of time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement device reduces the power required to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position when the temporary suspension is automatically released. The time measurement device reduces the time required to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position following the automatic release of the temporary suspension of the time measurement. When the user uses such a time measurement device, the time measurement device, even in its temporary suspension state, is automatically released from the temporary suspension state after the predetermined amount of time passes, and this arrangement saves the user the time needed for releasing the temporary suspension state.
A time measurement device of the present invention, includes an elapsed time display mechanism for measuring the duration of time from the start of the temporary suspension of the time measurement to an originally expected watch-hand position at which the watch hand is supposed to be if no temporary suspension takes place, a release section for releasing the temporary suspension by measuring the predetermined amount of time during the temporary suspension, and a watch-hand driving section for driving the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the value measured by the elapsed time display mechanism, when the temporary suspension is released.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the release section measures time and automatically releases the temporary suspension at the moment the predetermined amount of time passes, after the user temporarily suspended the indication of the measurement time in the middle of the time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement device reduces the power the watch-hand driving section requires to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the value measured by the elapsed time display mechanism, when the temporary suspension is automatically released.
A time measurement device of the present invention, includes a first measurement section for managing the position of the watch hand during time measurement, a second measurement section for managing the position of the watch hand in a temporarily suspended state in the middle of time measurement, a release section for releasing the temporary suspension by measuring the predetermined amount of time during the temporary suspension, a comparator section for comparing the position of the watch hand determined by the first measurement section and the position of the watch hand determined by the second measurement section, and a watch-hand driving section for driving the watch hand in accordance with the comparison result provided by the comparator section, which has compared the watch hand position by the first measurement section and the watch hand position by the second measurement section, when the release section releases the temporary suspension after the temporary suspension of the time measurement.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, when the user temporarily suspends the indication of the measurement time in the middle of the time measurement the second measurement section holds the watch hand position, and the first measurement section measures time normally. The release section measures time and automatically releases the temporary suspension at the moment the predetermined amount of time passes, after the indication of the measurement time is suspended in the middle of the time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement device reduces the power the watch-hand driving section requires to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the result provided by the comparator section, when the temporary suspension is automatically released.
A time measurement device of the present invention, includes a standard time display mechanism for measuring standard time, a first motor for driving the standard time display mechanism, an elapsed time display mechanism for measuring any elapsed time, a second motor for driving the elapsed time display mechanism, and a control section for controlling the standard time display mechanism, the first motor, the elapsed time display mechanism and the second motor, wherein the control section automatically releases a temporary suspension when a predetermined amount of time passes form the temporary suspension of the watch hand in position in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, and drives the watch hand to a position indicating the elapsed time by operating the second motor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the time measurement device automatically releases the temporary suspension of the time measurement when the predetermined amount of time passes since the user temporarily suspended the indication of measurement time in the middle of time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement device reduces the power the second motor consumes to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position when the temporary suspension is automatically released. When the user uses such a time measurement device, the time measurement device, even in its temporary suspension state, is automatically released from the temporary suspension state after the predetermined amount of time passes, and this arrangement saves the user the time needed for releasing the temporary suspension state.
In a time measurement device of the present invention, the control section includes a counter, wherein the counter counts up when the time measurement is temporarily suspended in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, and counts down while the watch hand is rapidly driven when the temporary suspension is released, and the rapid driving of the watch hand is stopped when the counter reaches zero.
In a time measurement device of the present invention, the temporary suspension is automatically released, and a subsequent temporary suspension is inhibited while the watch hand is driven to the watch hand position indicating the elapsed time.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the temporary suspension is automatically released when the predetermined amount of time passes since the user suspended the indication of the elapsed time under measurement in the middle of time measurement. The watch hand is rapidly driven to the originally expected watch hand position indicating the elapsed time. If the temporary suspension is attempted again during the rapid driving of the watch hand, such temporary suspension is inhibited.
In a time measurement device of the present invention, the control section includes a first counter for counting the measurement time of the elapsed time display mechanism, and a second counter for counting the position of the watch hand at the measurement time, wherein the first counter counts up even when the time measurement is suspended in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, the control section drives the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position when the temporary suspension is released, and stops a rapid driving of the watch hand when the count at the second counter coincides with the count at the first counter.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the control section includes the counters for managing the temporary suspension time throughout which the indication of the time measurement is suspended. When the user temporarily suspends the watch hand position in the middle of the measurement of any time, the counter in the control section manages the temporary suspension time. When the temporary suspension is automatically released, the watch hand is rapidly driven in accordance with the count of the counter. For this reason, the time measurement device reduces the power the second motor consumes to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position when the temporary suspension is automatically released.
In a time measurement device of the present invention, a single motor is used for driving the watch hand indicating the elapsed time.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention the function for measuring time employs the single motor. In the construction in which the watch hand is driven by the single motor, even when the user forgets to release the temporary suspension of the time measurement in the middle of time measurement, thereby leaving the time measurement device in the temporary suspension state, the time measurement device reduces the power that is consumed to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, by automatically releasing the temporary suspension.
A time measurement device of the present invention, includes a generator for generating power.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the time measurement device includes the generator, and does not require a conventional button battery or the like, and the user uses the time measurement device, only in time of need, by simply letting it generate power.
A time measurement method of the present invention, has, at least, both a function of measuring standard time and a function of measuring any elapsed time, wherein when a predetermined amount of time passes a temporary suspension of a watch hand in position in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, the suspension of the watch hand is automatically released and the watch hand is driven to a watch hand position indicating the elapsed time.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention the time measurement method automatically releases the temporary suspension of the time measurement when the predetermined amount of time passes since the user temporarily suspended the indication of measurement time in the middle of time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement method reduces the power required to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position when the temporary suspension is automatically released. The time measurement method reduces the time required to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position following to the automatic release of the temporary suspension of the time measurement. When the user uses such a time measurement method, the time measurement, even in its temporary suspension state, is automatically released from the temporary suspension state after the predetermined amount of time passes, and this arrangement saves the user the time needed for releasing the temporary suspension state.
A time measurement method of the present invention, includes the measuring step of measuring the duration of time from the start of the temporary suspension of the time measurement to an originally expected watch-hand position at which the watch hand is supposed to be if no temporary suspension takes place, the releasing step of releasing the temporary suspension by measuring the predetermined amount of time during the temporary suspension, and the watch-hand driving step of driving the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the value measured in the time measuring step, when the temporary suspension is released.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention the releasing step measures time and automatically releases the temporary suspension at the moment the predetermined amount of time passes, after the user temporarily suspended the indication of the measurement time in the middle of the time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement method reduces the power the watch-hand driving step requires to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the value measured in the measuring step, when the temporary suspension is automatically released.
A time measurement method of the present invention, includes the first measuring step for managing the position of the watch hand during time measurement, the second measuring step for managing the position of the watch hand in a temporarily suspended state in the middle of time measurement, the releasing step for releasing the temporary suspension by measuring the predetermined amount of time during the temporary suspension, the comparing step for comparing the position of the watch hand determined in the first measuring step and the position of the watch hand determined in the second measuring step, and the watch-hand driving step for driving the watch hand in accordance with the comparison result provided in the comparing step, which has compared the watch hand position in the first measuring step and the watch hand position in the second measuring step, when the releasing step releases the temporary suspension after the temporary suspension of the time measurement.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, when the user temporarily suspends the indication of the measurement time in the middle of the time measurement, the second measuring step holds the watch hand position and the first measuring step measures time normally. The releasing step measures time and releases the temporary suspension at the moment the predetermined amount of time passes, after the indication of the measurement time is suspended in the middle of the time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement method reduces the power the watch-hand driving step requires to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position, in accordance with the result provided in the comparing step, when the temporary suspension is automatically released.
In a time measurement method of the present invention, the control section controls a standard time display mechanism for measuring standard time, a first motor for driving the standard time display mechanism, an elapsed time display mechanism for measuring any elapsed time, and a second motor for driving the elapsed time display mechanism, and automatically releases a temporary suspension when a predetermined amount of time passes from the temporary suspension of the watch hand in position in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, and drives the watch hand to a position indicating the elapsed time by operating the second motor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the time measurement method automatically releases the temporary suspension of the time measurement when the predetermined amount of time passes since the user temporarily suspended the indication of measurement time in the middle of time measurement. For this reason, the time measurement method reduces the power the second motor consumes to drive the watch hand to its originally expected position when the temporary suspension is automatically released. When the user uses such a time measurement method, the time measurement, even in its temporary suspension state, is automatically released from the temporary suspension state after the predetermined amount of time passes, and this arrangement saves the user the time needed for releasing the temporary suspension state.
In a time measurement method of the present invention, a counter arranged in the control section counts up when the time measurement is temporarily suspended in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, counts down while the watch hand is rapidly driven when the temporary suspension is released, and the rapid driving of the watch hand is stopped when the counter reaches zero.
In a time measurement method of the present invention, the control section causes a first counter to count the measurement time of the elapsed time display mechanism, and a second counter to count the position of the watch hand at the measurement time, wherein the first counter counts up even when the time measurement is suspended in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, the control section drives the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position when the temporary suspension is released, and stops a rapid driving of the watch hand when the count at the second counter coincides with the count at the first counter.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the control section includes the counters for managing the temporary suspension time throughout which the indication of the time measurement is suspended. When the user temporarily suspends the hand position in the middle of the measurement of any time, the counter in the control section manages the temporary suspension time. When the temporary suspension is automatically released, the watch hand is rapidly driven in accordance with the count of the counter. For this reason, the time measurement method reduces the power the second motor consumes to drive the watch hand to the originally expected watch hand position when the temporary suspension is automatically released.